Changing The Brume for the Better

[Nefiiria]

There's a lot of in-game talk about the Brume getting worked on, but unfortunately it's always in a wrecked state.

It would take some real man-hours to reconfigure the whole place(and then also to change the story so the lore fits a little better, maybe have a pre/post state story-wise), but wouldn't it be cool if there was an event where we could donate gil/offer quests/turn in supply and provisions to help rebuild the Brume? Aside from the poor and huddled masses in Ul'dah, the rest of Eorzea seems to be very well maintained. The Brume seems to be the only place that's legitimately screwed over for eternity.

Say, the game keeps track of what's been donated, and after reaching certain milestones the place gets better. Not ridiculously better(or maybe so), but enough that the freezing NPCs aren't stuck outside half-frozen. These NPCs could also start selling cosmetic goods, like maybe some Ishgardian clothing styles and options.

It's probably been proposed before, but what do you think?

[Cilia]

It's not a lore thing, I don't think...

While I am for having Ishgard get improved, the sheer size of the area would make the phasing a nightmare. This is the main obstacle to doing so; since new players in Ishgard have to see it in the war-torn state, it has to stay that way. One could argue that the time skip between 3.3 and 3.4 should have allowed them a little time to improve the area since the war is definitively over, but...

Again, I'd love to see it implemented in some way, but given the technical difficulties and scope of the proposition I don't think it will.

[Theodric]

I'd like to see Ishgard updated at some point - but all of Ishgard, not just the derelict portion and for 'feel good' reasons. The Brume will, realistically, always be something of a cesspit. For all the talk of 'change' there's still the 'nobles' and the 'regular' people and then far below both is the 'impoverished'. Aymeric may have technically made things 'better' but the status quo hasn't really changed at all. The people in the Brume may get some more charity but they're still liable to live miserable lives for the most part.

[Enkidoh]

I'm pretty certain Yoshi already said no to 'fixing' Foundation though for the reasons Cilia mentioned - it needs to still be in a 'ruined' state for new players just arriving, otherwise the story just wouldn't make sense for them, and setting it to phase a different form depending on where the player is in the story is just too complex technically.

It's not like Revenant's Toll or Idyllshire where the upgrades with each patch can still be easily handwaved away for new players, Foundation's poor state is caused by a specific event that occurred just prior to the player arriving in Ishgard for the first time. It's just too much trouble for SE to bother with.

[RobinMalvin]

While I understand the need for the Brume and whole Ishgard as general to stay as they are now, I want at least some changes to the NPCs as we progress the story.

For example, initially we have a girl sitting with her family in a corner of the Brume, the girl saying "I don't feel the cold anymore, which is good right?" or something to that effect and we can't interact with them.
After 3.3 MSQ if we visit the girl again -which was saved from falling by Vidofnir- the girl and some children now stand there, with the girl becomes targetable thus we can speak to her, saying she wants to be able to ride on Vidofnir again.

On the other hand, there's a guy lying nearby with his sister and a helper tending to him, and he's been there muttering "leave me be, sister" since 3.0.

The same dilemma with those guys on falling edge maybe, although I see them as comedy and don't think they need to be changed anytime soon.

[Nefiiria]

While I understand the need for the Brume and whole Ishgard as general to stay as they are now, I want at least some changes to the NPCs as we progress the story.

...

On the other hand, there's a guy lying nearby with his sister and a helper tending to him, and he's been there muttering "leave me be, sister" since 3.0.

And there's some bum sitting out in the cold freezing his ass off. Honestly I'd be fine if they just gave everyone blankets and a piping hot mug, if phasing an area of that size is an issue. I just look at the area and I think, "Well, we did it?"

I apologize for not responding sooner. I've grown a habit of giving up on my own posts based on former interactions with other forums. They're less, er, polite about ideas and discussion.

[Lunaxia]

snip.

I feel the same way about the guy stood near the aetheryte plaza saying something like "why do I bother, it'll only be wrecked in the next raid." I wish he'd be updated to at least lugging some lumber around or something.

[Eyvind]

It's not like Revenant's Toll or Idyllshire where the upgrades with each patch can still be easily handwaved away for new players, Foundation's poor state is caused by a specific event that occurred just prior to the player arriving in Ishgard for the first time. It's just too much trouble for SE to bother with.

All very true, but they routinely make cosmetic changes to Heavenward areas in ways that make them look different to players who've done missions. That's very clear for the Beast Tribe stuff, and most especially to those doing Moogle crafting missions.

I would like to see what the OP suggests, and have Ishgard raised to full nation status - a GC joined to the Temple Knights, maybe?

[LineageRazor]

All very true, but they routinely make cosmetic changes to Heavenward areas in ways that make them look different to players who've done missions.

Though, one interesting thing that you'll note is that the actual spots players can STAND don't change at all. You can see the same thing with Alexander; the spots where he places his hands as he emerges from the barrier have rocks and boulders covering the spots where his hands will eventually be.

I feel like they could do the same in the Brume; make the area look less ragged, but have obstacles of some kind to prevent us from standing in the places where we couldn't stand before.

But yeah, barring that, they really should update some of the PCs' dialog...

[Enkidoh]

I would like to see what the OP suggests, and have Ishgard raised to full nation status - a GC joined to the Temple Knights, maybe?

But it already is a full nation - the reason Ishgard does not have a Grand Company is because lore wise the Grand Companies are meant to be stand-ins for actual standing armies which Ul'dah, Gridania and Limsa Lominsa do not actually have (they have token militias which are little more than glorified police forces at best and volunteer forces made up of mercenaries and sellswords at worst). This changed with the lead up to the Calamity, with Dalamud rapidly descending and the Garlean VIIth Legion under Nael van Darnus mobilizing for a full on invasion, the fledgling Eorzean Alliance needed to pool their resources, labour and especially military forces, and the Grand Companies was the answer, made up of both professional enlistees and adventurers, and this continued post Calamity into the Seventh Umbral Era and now into the Seventh Astral Era.

Ishgard on the other hand has been at near constant war with Nidhogg's horde for a thousand years and has long been militarized, and thus maintains a full standing army. And even then it already has a volunteer military like a GC as well in the form of the Convictors, a rowdy and rebellious bunch to be sure. Of course nothing is stopping SE adding Isghard as a fourth GC force, but for the above lore reasons, I don't see it happening.